The present invention relates generally to filters and more specifically to air filters employed in automotive or other internal combustion engines.
Use of air filters in internal combustion engines is well known. In the past, air filters have incorporated metal frames to which a pleated filter member was attached. The use of a metal or rigid plastic frame for such a filter makes the recycling of such filters difficult and thus undesirable. More recently, efforts have been made to produce filters which may be readily recycled. One such filter is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,674,302. This filter is fabricated wholly of a non-woven synthetic fiber material which is compressed around the edges during the manufacturing process to form a structural frame member. While this filter advantageously avoids the use of metal components for a surrounding structural member, the fabrication technique requires expensive and specialized manufacturing equipment. It would therefore be desirable to have a technique for producing a filter which could be readily recycled and a filter produced by such a technique that does not necessitate the use of highly specialized manufacturing equipment.